Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-15

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below shows the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The given graph depicts the number of visitors to a specific Caribbean island from 2010 to 2017.

Overall, the number of tourists increased over the given span. The number of visitors staying on cruise ships won the race to the total number of those staying in island before the final year, initially starting with lower proportion of visitors.

Initially, there were around 750,000 of visitors who stayed on cruise ships, approximately more than those who stayed on the island. Then, in the following year, number of visitors who stayed on cruise ships, held constant, before forming a pleateau, at 1.5 million visitors in from 2013 to 2015, which recoded highest while comparing with visitors staying on island. In 2017, the proportion settled at 1.5 million visitors, after dropping slightly in 2016.

With a regard to visitors staying in island, the number started from 250,000 visitors in 2010. Then, it increased slightly by approximately 250,000 visitors in 2011, before dropping to the initial number of visitors in 2012. In the subsequent years, the number of tourists increased gradually and peaked at around 2 million. Furthermore, the number of tourists visiting the island over the period has seen a gradual increment from 1 million to 3.5 million in total.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response identifies the overall rise in total visitors and attempts to compare the two accommodation groups, but several central figures and trends are reversed or assigned to the wrong group. For example, cruise-ship visitors began at about 250,000, not 750,000, and island-staying visitors began at about 750,000, not 250,000. The claim that cruise visitors formed a plateau at 1.5 million from 2013 to 2015 actually describes neither series: island visitors were around 1.5 million then, while cruise numbers rose from 500,000 to 1.25 million. The overview also says cruise visitors overtook island visitors before the final year, whereas this happened in 2017. These inaccuracies leave the main features only minimally reported; prioritise accurate comparisons and a clear overview.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs for the two visitor categories. This gives the reader a basic route through the report, and time markers such as “Initially,” “Then,” and “In the subsequent years” help signal sequence. However, progression is weakened because the paragraphs repeatedly mix up which series is being described, and the overview’s claim about cruise visitors overtaking island visitors conflicts with the later account. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated “Then” and “Furthermore.” Make each body paragraph consistently track one series, and use comparisons to connect the two accurately. Clearer referencing and more purposeful transitions would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

There is enough vocabulary to describe movement and comparison, including “increased,” “dropping slightly,” “peaked,” and “gradually.” The writer also attempts more varied expressions such as “won the race” and “settled at,” but these are not natural or precise for a factual graph report. Several word-choice and collocation problems reduce clarity: “in island” should be “on the island,” “formed a plateau” is used for the wrong trend, and “recoded highest” appears to be an inaccurate word choice. Spelling errors such as “pleateau” and “recoded” are noticeable. Prefer standard, precise reporting language and check spelling; for example, describe a series as “remained stable” or “reached a peak” only when the data supports it.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses both simple statements and longer sentences with time clauses, as in “Then, in the following year … before forming a pleateau.” This shows some range, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, some sentence patterns contain errors or awkward construction: “there were around 750,000 of visitors” has an unnecessary “of,” “number of visitors … held constant” lacks an article and has an unclear subject, and “in from 2013 to 2015” contains an incorrect preposition. There are also article and preposition issues in “staying in island” and “With a regard to.” Use complete, controlled clauses and check articles and prepositions, especially in longer sentences. More accurate sentence construction would make the comparisons clearer.

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